Scott & Post St. San Francisco, CA

Completed 2000

Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) and Mount Zion Health Systems conceived the complex in 1996, to serve the needs of the elderly and provide a permanent home for the JFCS offices. To make the center a reality, the nonprofi t Scott Street Housing Corporation contacted BRIDGE Housing’s Donald Terner, Rick Holliday’s friend and mentor, who agreed to find a developer to manage construction. After Terner’s tragic death in a plane crash, Holliday Development stepped in as the fee-developer to manage the project. Among the challenges: San Francisco’s sunshine ordinance, which forbids any shading of the adjacent park; state requirements for nursing homes; city building codes for office buildings and parking lots; rules for rehabilitating historic buildings; and the separate interests and needs of the JFCS and Mt. Zion Health Systems. The resulting complex, 100% privately funded and known as Rhoda Goldman Plaza, offers services and facilities that foster an independent lifestyle. The seven-story building has 155 well-designed rental units including one- and two-bedroom residences, studios, and alcove apartments. Residents have easy access to art museums, shopping, and the full spectrum of San Francisco’s cultural activities.